Back Taxes Result in More than 6,000 Vacant Properties in Arkansas

More than 6,000 properties are sitting vacant in Arkansas because the owners are delinquent in paying their taxes.

Little Rock television station KTHV reports that state Land Commissioner John Thurston says he wants to get those properties back on the tax rolls.

Properties seized for nonpayment of taxes are offered for public auction. Parcels that don’t sell at auction are then offered for negotiated sales.

If a property isn’t sold after one year, the state will sell it for taxes and penalties. If the land doesn’t sell for two years, the state will take any reasonable offer as a way to get the property back on the tax rolls.

The original landowner can redeem the property during the process by paying back taxes.

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